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Monthly Archives: September 2013

We talk a lot about playing to our strengths; using strengths to achieve our goals and delegating on the basis of strengths.

However, the reality for many professionals is simply working longer and harder to shift an ever increasing workload.

How many of us actually make a conscious, deliberate decision to use our strengths?

We should do because the evidence of the benefits for doing so is quite remarkable.

At Capp we love data. We have collected data from over 1,200 people and have found that increased strengths use is associated with the following outcomes:

- Resilience – our ability to take hardships in our stride

- Engagement – our passion for what we do

- Vitality – that feeling of being alive and energised at work

- Mindfulness – our ability to focus on the present and not get lost amidst the stress

- Grit – our ability to dig our heels in and keep persisting

Taken together, this is a powerful combination for anyone faced with a demanding workload.

Rather than just make the to-do list or project plan – take 5 minutes to think about how you’re going to achieve this. Which of your strengths will maximise your chances of getting this done and at the same time, increase your opportunity to experience the above benefits?

So there’s a lot in it for the individual – what about for the business?

Research shows the individual outcomes themselves are in turn linked to desirable organisational benefits. To name a few, productivity and profitability – that is, the bottom line where it really counts. Therefore, enabling employees to use their strengths more may not only increase positive individual outcomes but in turn impact other valuable organisational drivers.

What should your next steps be?

First, know your strengths. Our research was conducted using our online strengths assessment tool Realise2. Measuring the three dimensions of performance, energy and use across 60 strengths identifies for the individual whether these attributes are realised or unrealised strengths; learned behaviours or weaknesses.

Second, ask yourself: how am I using my realised or unrealised strengths to achieve my goals? Where can you up your strength use?

It’s worth taking the time to reflect. With the run up to the close of the year hotting up, why not work a bit smarter rather than harder?

To read our research on the benefits of strengths use, please see my recent article here in The British Psychological Society (BPS) Assessment & Development Matters, Vol 5 (No 3) Autumn 2013. Realising our Strengths: Relationships between strengths use and positive psychological characteristics.

Last Thursday, 12 September, I was an invited speaker at the eArcu client event at the Grange City Hotel, London. eArcu is a 2nd generation recruitment platform provider and Capp’s chosen applicant tracking partner. The event was expertly compered by CAThr3e’sBen Jackson. It was attended by over 50 of eArcu’s clients and fellow speakers included:

There was a genuine buzz at this event, with speakers and delegates enthused by the impact that technology can have in assisting the in-house recruiter to:

Recruit through multiple devices – Andy demonstrated how the eArcu responsive grid technology ensures that application sites adapt across all handheld or tablet devices. Andy highlighted how this technology has been implemented in Capp’s work with Nestlé as they seek to attract both school leavers and graduates.

Create candidate pipelines – Alastair highlighted how Ingenium People help to empower inhouse recruiters to use social media to build their own candidate pipelines. Alastair also showed how revolutionary sites such as ‘Facebook graph search’ is allowing recruiters to find people within set locations and sharing similar skills. Despite these online developments Alastair was quick also to acknowledge the importance of still picking up the phone to connect with exceptional candidates.

Create consistent candidate experiences – Damien from Daesign blew the audience away with demonstrations of ‘serious games’. Damien provided insights into how clients like EE have harnessed avatars to deliver introductions to assessment days and how Renault has delivered online sales training through their sales manager games.

Select for Strengths – My presentation demonstrated how strengths (measuring performance, energy and experience) can be assessed online through Capp’s Situational Strengths Test (SST). I provided examples of how clients like EY, Nestlé and Morrisons use the SST to provide candidates with a cost effective, realistic job preview as well as online strengths-based volume screening. I also demonstrated the ways in which strengths can be integrated within an organisation’s capability framework and the difference between strengths and competency-based interviewing.

The event concluded with a panel discussion, reviewing how handheld mobile solutions for both candidates and inhouse recruiters could make attraction and recruitment accessible anytime, all the time, for all.

If you would like to know more about how Capp harnesses technology to deliver our end-to-end recruitment solutions, please contact me, nicky.garcea@capp.co

Capp delivers performance through strengths. Our clients include many international household names across the private and public sectors. Our leading edge work on strengths-based assessment has won client awards and features monthly in the trade press.

In order to meet increasing client demand for our strengths-based assessment solutions, we are adding new assessment specialists to our Consulting team.

We want to hear from you, if you love to deliver on, and feel energised by:

Working to develop strengths-based assessment solutions across the employee life cycle.

Having a passion for assessment, with a buzz from implementing leading technology solutions.

Listening to clients to understand what they need, delivering practical solutions that add value.

Taking care and showing personal responsibility to deliver quality in everything you do.

Project managing large scale projects, always delivering on time and within budget.

If successful, you will join the industry leaders in strengths-based assessment. In return for what you bring to Capp, you will enjoy a substantial benefits package, including contributory occupational pension scheme, generous holiday entitlement, performance bonus, flexible working arrangements, training and development opportunities, and being part of a highly engaged and high performing team!

We are open to considering both full and part time appointments for these positions. Consultancy and/or commercial experience would be a distinct advantage.

For further particulars about the role, and details of how to apply, please contact Emma Mason on +44 (0) 2476 323 363 or emma.mason@cappeu.com

Launched in 2012, we are celebrating the Situational Strengths Test (SST) one year on.

The SST is as an objective and reliable, high volume strengths-based sifting tool that has been taken tens of thousands of times by candidates for organisations in sectors such as the Emergency Services, FMCG, Retail and Professional Services.

We are proud of the SST for a number of reasons

First, the way it reliably and objectively assesses the strengths required for the role. Second, delivered through our secure and reliable technology platform, it never lets you down. Third, its unique and robust scoring mechanism ensures that you only select the best candidates.

But we are even more proud of the positive effect the SST has had on recruiters and candidates, helping organisations find the right people, and helping people find the right jobs.

We love data at Capp, and when it comes to the SST we are no different. We have been analysing our results consistently and some exciting findings have emerged.

Let’s start with recruiters

Why do they use the SST? Normally for one or both of two key reasons: they want to save time and money in an early screen and/or they want to better identify the talent in their high volume applications.

The SST consistently shows that the scenario for each strength differentiates between successful, unsuccessful and ‘to consider’ candidates – showing that it reliably and accurately sifts for talent, separating the best fit candidates for the role from the rest.

Using this super efficient tool, EY screened over 19,000 graduate applicants in 2012-13, taking only the very best-fit candidates through to the next stage.

“Being an online tool and providing applicants with an insight into the available role makes Capp’s Situation Strengths Test incredibly attractive and when combined with a strengths-based interview will help us identify the best graduates for the available opportunities.”

Stephen Isherwood, former Head of Graduate Recruitment UK and Ireland, Ernst & Young

Now for the candidates

Well we know that nearly 90% of candidates feel that the scenarios in the SST give a realistic insight into working life at an organisation.

Nearly two thirds feel it is more challenging than other SJTs and over 99% perceive the test as user friendly. We are pretty happy with those statistics, as are our clients!

We constantly make improvements and adjustments to the SST to stay ahead of the curve as thought leaders in the field of strengths assessment. We’re excited to see what next year holds and expect you are too.

Capp, the leading strengths-based assessment and recruitment employee lifecycle provider, are delighted to announce the board appointment of Vernon Bryce, former founding Managing Partner of Kenexa (Europe), an IBM company and Kenexa Middle East (FZ LLC). Vernon joins this new position, at Capp, on Monday 2 September 2013, as Commercial Director.

Vernon joins Capp after 13 years at Kenexa (Europe), an IBM company and Kenexa Middle East (FZ LLC); with more than 40 years working in senior Human Resources positions, in companies such as Gallup, KPMG and PA Consulting to name a few, Vernon brings an in-depth wealth of extensive commercial leadership expertise.

‘’I have known Vernon since the time we were considering starting Capp, and as such, have been trying to recruit him since then! It just goes to show that persistence pays off’’….’’I am immensely proud that Vernon is becoming a member of the Capp team.’’ Alex Linley, Director, Capp.

‘’I am delighted to be taking the role of Commercial Director at Capp, it is an exciting opportunity, Capp are an incredible company with great passion, innovation and commitment for clients’ growth.’’ Vernon Bryce, Director, Capp.

‘‘This is a significant appointment for Capp and further strengthens our growing team to deliver our assessment strategy and business plans.’’ Nicky Garcea, Director, Capp.

About Capp

Founded in 2005, Capp is the leading strengths-based assessment provider, enabling organisations to deliver performance through strengths. Capp delivers a fully integrated strengths-based assessment process, making it possible for clients to manage their assessment needs across their employee lifecycle to deliver business growth.

Capp products include the strengths identification tool, Realise2 (www.realise2.com), and the Situational Strengths Test, for volume screening and talent assessment.

Together with our partners eArcu and Sonru, our strengths-based assessment process can be delivered through our second generation eRecruitment platform and video screening, including response handling, project management and information management.